Tuesday, June 07, 2011

‘The Undefeated’ Review: Doing the Job the Corrupt MSM Won’t

by John Nolte     
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/
June 6, 2011

What an indictment of the mainstream media that in order to present to the public the missing pieces of a major political figure’s governing record, an independent filmmaker has to drop a cool million of his own dollars. While our corrupt journalist-class is (at this very moment) out trashing Governor Palin’s children, blaming her for their own acts of public urination and proving they know nothing about Paul Revere (or Google), writer/director Steve Bannon is putting the final touches on “The Undefeated” (this is a review of a rough cut), a feature-length documentary that does the MSM’s job for them — tells the intentionally ignored and buried stories of Sarah Palin’s two decades as an unconventional but very effective public official. Unless you’ve read the Governor’s autobiography “Going Rogue,” anyone with an ounce of intellectual honesty will find it impossible to sit through this film and not ask themselves, “Why haven’t I been told this?”

Broken into a series of chapters that focus solely on Palin’s political career, the film itself opens with a jarring (in a good way) montage of bitterly hostile celebrities who obviously don’t have enough humanity of their own to see the same in a mother of five. Among others, Bill Maher, Rosie O’Donnell, Matt Damon, Joy Behar, David Letterman, and comedian Louis CK lash out at this woman and her family (including Trig, her Down Syndrome son) in jaw-droppingly cruel and sexual ways that would surely garner an R-rating (there will be an unrated and PG-13 version released). Even though part of my job is to track this celebrity venom and nothing I saw was new, the sheer volume of hate still takes your breath away. Bannon’s answer to this is one of the film’s more effective moments: a credit sequence over home movies where we watch Sarah Palin — someone’s little girl — grow up. Since none of those celebrities were born with a shame-gene, you almost have to feel ashamed for them.

From here the narrative smartly avoids the personal biographical beats of Palin’s life and jumps directly into her life as a political figure. Bannon secured the audio rights to “Going Rogue” which allows Palin herself to tell much of her own story and right off the bat we’re treated to one of those inconvenient facts the MSM ignores. What inspired this blue collar, hockey mom married to an oil worker to get into politics was the devastating 1989 Exxon Valdez environmental catastrophe. The oil companies clearly held too much power in Alaska and a seed was planted that would eventually grow into the woman currently giving the GOP establishment and corrupt media fits as she tours America in a bus.

There’s nothing partisan about “The Undefeated.” The Republican establishment and Big Oil take a well-deserved beating from open to close. If anything, they come off worse than the Left who are really only guilty of being their awful selves. It’s just a fact that throughout most of her career (and the film’s second act) — as Palin moved from Wasilla Mayor to Chairwoman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to Governor — she fearlessly and effectively battled her own party and Big Oil almost every step of the way. I don’t want to get too wonky in a film review, but as you watch this particular section you’re going to learn as much about the MSM as you do the Governor. Try to imagine how many elite, blow-dried souls Lucifer was able to secure the rights to in order for them to gain the sway needed to convince the public that an undistinguished half-term Senator most famous for voting present was more qualified to be President than one of the most successful and popular governor’s in the country.

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An important theme that develops is Palin’s unwavering principles. That doesn’t mean she’s not willing to work with the other side. In fact, just the opposite is true. But during an interview in one of the many pieces of heretofore unseen news footage we’re treated to, Palin says it best (paraphrasing): “A politician has a choice between eating well and sleeping well.” In her public life, Palin has resigned from two offices; once as Chairwoman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation in order to call attention to corruption and most famously as Alaska’s governor. The former put her at odds with the GOP establishment and cost her middle-class family a six-figure salary.

The latter cost her a ton of political capital.

In both cases, it’s quite obvious the Governor understood that the consequences of her stepping down would be personally devastating, but in both cases she chose to sleep rather than eat well. Sure, Palin could have hung on as Governor and avoided taking fire as a “quitter” even from some on our side, but at what price to the State of Alaska? A never-ending stream of frivolous ethics complaints not only threatened to bankrupt Palin’s family but had also frozen the government’s ability to get anything done. A mercenary politician more concerned with his her own personal ambitions would’ve held on to that office at any cost (to everyone else). Instead, Palin made the kind of sacrifice you just don’t see those in power make. Should Palin choose to run for president in 2012 there’s no way around the fact that her decision to step down as Governor will be a major headwind — which means that those of us looking for leaders willing to make unpopular choices for the greater good should appreciate her decision all the more. 


Leftists in the MSM (but I repeat myself) have already complained about “The Undefeated” being commissioned by Palin (a lie) and that it skips over issues like the nonsense-scandal that was TrooperGate. But the very fact that everyone reading this already knows about TrooperGate answers that criticism. “The Undefeated” is about filling in the gaping holes the corrupt MSM intentionally dug. The documentary is new information for anyone still stupid enough to watch the Nightly News and read Politico. Furthermore, unlike the MSM, Bannon makes no secret of his biases. He’s not weaponizing objectivity or trying to con anyone. But if the early response is any indication, critics intend to do to the film what they to do to Palin: ignore substance at all costs.

Among others, thanks to Andrew Breitbart, Kate Obenshain, Tammy Bruce, and Mark Levin, “The Undefeated” closes strong — especially when Breitbart attacks GOP establishment “eunuchs” who to this very day lack the “chivalry” and courage to fight those who seek to destroy this woman in unprecedented ways. But even larger-than-life personalities can’t outshine the Governor herself. In a series of well-selected clips from recent speeches, there’s Sarah where she always is: alone on a stage in the middle of the fight talking about her love for America, her belief in liberty, and fearlessly giving hell to whoever has it coming … regardless of party.

Will “The Undefeated” change minds? I think it will, especially among open-minded Independents who have yet to be introduced to “this” Sarah Palin. Thankfully, due to New Media and a filmmaker willing to put a million of his own dollars where his mouth is, we can now get the truth out there using our own Bus Tour — our own message-delivery device that works around the GOP eunuchs and corrupted MSM.

With any luck, the season of watching the insufferable choke on a hockey mom’s exhaust has only begun.

“The Undefeated” is a comprehensive and at times moving must-see for anyone interested in the truth about Sarah Palin.

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